Ferris Wheel
by spoonorita
Summary: Roxas was beginning to get impatient when Axel finally stopped, setting the gas can down in front of an ancient looking generator situated next to the ferris wheel that he saw on the way here. Roxas immediately knew what Axel's plan was. "No," he said. "No no no no no! We are not getting on that thing."


Prompt was from conigliomannaro on tumblr.

- - x - -

Axel was tall and awkward, with flame-red hair that, oddly enough, was natural, and green eyes the exact shade of fresh apples that made Roxas somewhat hungry each time he looked into them, though not hungry for food, but for Axel's lips and warmth and in general, his everything. Axel was brash, bold and impulsive, which intrigued Roxas more than anything else about him.

Axel was impulsive in the sense that there was one day last year when Roxas found himself being dragged out of bed at eleven-thirty on a school night, in order to catch the midnight train down to the beach where he and Axel then went skinny dipping in freezing cold ocean waters, and nearly getting caught by security, or on Axel's sixteenth birthday, when Roxas got a phone call when he was in the middle of homework from an overly-excited and nearly screeching Axel, who was screaming about his parents letting him get a tattoo for his sixteenth birthday present, and then going on about how he tattooed his face, and now his mother was fifty shades of pissed off but it's okay because it was worth it.

This meant that there was never a dull moment when Axel was around, because those impulsive moments always lead to Roxas having the best time of his life, because without those times, Roxas was sure his life would be boring and uneventful overall and the thought drove him crazy.

Which is why Roxas had no questions when Axel dragged him out in the middle of the night, and headed right for the hole in the Tram Common wall. Okay, so Roxas had a few questions. Namely "What the hell are you doing? It's two in the morning and there are wild animals back there!" Axel just ignored him, dragging him through thick woods by the hand, his other clutching a rather large (and probably stolen) container of gasoline.

Roxas stopped his onslaught of questions and protests when they approached something large deep in the woods, just off an old, beaten road that hadn't been used in years, judging by the plants that grew through the cracked asphalt and the large pebbles that clattered about each time they took another step forward. That large something turned into many slightly less large somethings, and Roxas was able to make out the outlines of what looked like a rickety old roller coaster and a ferris wheel.

"What is this?" Roxas asked, letting go of Axel's hand as they approached a rusty chain-link fence.

"I think it's the amusement park that was here before they built the one at the pier. Demyx showed it to me last week. It's awesome, isn't it?" Axel said, setting the gas container on the ground as he went to crawl through a hole in the fence (that looked like it had been cut out with bolt cutters; probably courtesy of Axel and Demyx last week) that was hidden behind a large tree. "I thought they would have torn it down by now."

"We're not going in there, are we?" Roxas asked skeptically, as Axel reached an arm back outside to grab the gas container and pull it through.

"Of course we are," Axel said, reaching his hand through again for Roxas.

Roxas sighed and took Axel's hand, allowing himself to squeeze through the hole in the fence, the broken fence links catching on his clothing along the way.

Roxas was wary, but intrigued; the smell of rust and decay was on everything, but under the dim moonlight, he could make out old prize booths, cleaned out and splintering with dry rot, and it looked like there was a funhouse over there, with a shattered mirror by the front door. Ivy grew up the framework on the roller coaster, and there was another building over in that direction with a caved-in roof and a small tree growing in the hole that was left behind. Roxas took everything in as they walked.

"So, why do we need the gasoline again?" Roxas asked.

Roxas could see the faint smile on Axel's face, even in the moonlight. "You'll see,"

"You're not..." Roxas paused, suddenly horrified. "You're not going to burn this place down are you?"

Axel full-on laughed, and it echoed eerily through the darkness. "Haha no! It's a surprise. I think you'll like it,"

They walked for several more minutes, Axel's hand clutched firmly around Roxas's wrist as he lead the way. This place was a lot bigger than it looked.

Roxas was beginning to get impatient when Axel finally stopped, setting the gas can down in front of an ancient looking generator situated next to the ferris wheel that he saw on the way here. Roxas immediately knew what Axel's plan was.

"No," he said. "No no no no _no_! We are _not_ getting on that thing."

"Why not? It's sturdy enough," Axel emphasized this by banging on the support beams with his fist, rust chips falling around him and the noise clanging and vibrating loud enough to really worry Roxas.

"How the hell do you know this?" Roxas asked. "This has probably been sitting here for, what, twenty, maybe thirty years? That's not safe, Axel!"

"Demyx and I already rode it,"

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

Axel turned away, that shit-eating grin still on his face as he uncapped the gas can and started pouring gasoline into the generator. "The roller coaster is rusted to the tracks though,"

Roxas sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. Sometimes Axel just...

"Go sit in the carriage," Axel said, as he tried to start the generator. Roxas reluctantly did as he was told, praying to every deity he could think of that the generator was dead as a doornail and they weren't going to get this thing off the ground.

But Roxas's stomach dropped out of his butt as the generator kicked to life with a loud roar and a flood of gasoline fumes, and Axel squealed in delight. Roxas wondered how Axel was supposed to start the ferris wheel as well as ride it, but when Axel kicked the lever that started it and then leaped into the carriage just as the ride started to move, Roxas could only hang onto the bars for dear life as the carriage swung around and Axel situated himself.

"_Are you insane!?"_ Roxas screeched, the carriage swinging uncomfortably on squeaky hinges and Axel just sitting there like he owned the world.

"Stop freaking out and just watch, okay?" Axel said.

The ferris wheel moved along, sending their carriage upwards with groans of protest, before it came to a full stop at the top when the generator ran out of fuel.

The ferris wheel just barely came past the tops of the trees, but in the distance, out past the rest of the park and the rusty fence they had come through, Roxas could see the forest canopy, edged in silver from the moonlight that shone through scattered cloud cover. About a mile away was the wall that separated Tram Common from the forest, a solid mass of pitch black against silver treetops and an inky sky. The clock tower stood as a giant monolith in the midst of it all in the distance.

Roxas's gaze faltered a few times away from the scenery as he looked down over the side of the carriage, gauging just how high they were, before he was drawn back to looking at Twilight Town in the distance. An arm slid behind his back and around his shoulder, and he soon found himself scooted across the seat so that he was flush against Axel.

"Pretty, isn't it?" Axel said.

Roxas looked over at Axel and then back over the trees. "Why though?"

"I dunno. I just thought it'd be nice. Just the two of us, you know?"

"Hmm. That's almost sweet of you,"

Axel smiled, then pulled Roxas closer to leave a kiss on his temple.

They sat like that for a few more minutes, just enjoying each other's company.

"So," Roxas spoke up. "How'd you get the ferris wheel to stop at the top?"

"Demyx and I managed to get a full rotation out of it so I just used half the fuel,"

"So... how are we supposed to get down?"

Axel's smile fell flat and he looked over the side of the carriage.

"Mother fuck!" He exclaimed, slapping his hand over his face, and Roxas couldn't help but to laugh out loud.

Axel was impulsive, but that didn't mean he thought things through before hand.


End file.
